Council of Nyx

The status quo is worthy

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The world is stranger than we know. Under the surface, an organization of supernatural beings struggle to keep their kind secret, to maintain the human world for humanity. Hedonists with a love for the inventive, creative nature of mankind, the Senate of Nyx and their enforcement corps, the Casket Division, police supernatural beings to maintain equilibrium and ensure the march of progress never stops. But wild supernaturals, enemies within the Senate, and genocidal hunters all stand as threats.

Intro

Present Day, Present Time. The world is ours – not darker, not unrecognizable. It is kept that way by way of the Senate of Nyx. Werewolves, Vampires, and Magic all flow below the surface, kept in check by the efforts of the Senate’s economic, political, and military arms. They have maintained their effectiveness through centuries. The great heroes and monsters of the world have been no more, and no less, purely human.

That they have kept the peace for nearly two thousand years, however, is not to assume they have been constant, or that the peace is concrete. They have walked a narrow line, and nearly fallen repeatedly. The modern era is no more certain than the past – factions within the Senate threaten the equilibrium, and outside forces agitate just as they have before. The only thing which has prevented each previous crisis was the action of dedicated members of the Senate, performing their duty until the end.

Character types

Vampires – the partially blooded Dhampir of the Council are difficult to kill, but their central advantage is speed – even before they exert themselves, they are faster than most humans, and going all out, devouring the blood within them, they can move fast enough that even supernatural beings cannot respond.

Werewolves – the Wolfchildren swore themselves and their descendants to the Senate in exchange for freedom from the chaotic domination of their Wolven forefathers. Out of each generation, many serve as bodyguards and enforcers, leveraging the intense power get from their mixed blood.

Spartoi – A mad doctor. A castle. A lightning storm. With the right tools and technology, you can bring back the dead… but not as they were. Memories are lost, and the flesh toughens, able to turn away blades, restore itself, use the bones and flesh as weapons. A recent addition to the council, a large number of these constructs were manufactured by a lone madman in the last few decades, and threw their lot in with the Council when they met their forefathers there.

Arcanists – Mankind has no magic of their own. But we find a way. Arcanists are humans, clued into the true secrets and trained by masters of the trade, or awakened to their powers independently. With devices and talismans, amulets and machines, they manifest the power of the world through the mind of humanity.

Medium – A human body, a human mind, and a human soul. Or, rather, two of them. Possessed are normal people who cohabit their bodies with ghosts. With time and training, the two synchronize more and more, allowing them to manifest ghostly gifts – stealth, incorporeality, ethereal tools, and limited projection.

Organizations

Senate of Nyx
Organized, dogmatic Vampire dominated group who keep things hidden. A bit hedonistic, but brutal when crossed. Old-blood power structure. Ironically progressive on human rights, feeling humanity makes the best and coolest stuff when left to our own ends. The good guys, essentially. Currently the largest, baddest group on the scene.

The Senate itself has 100 seats, while the Executive Council has five seats. The Council only casts votes in case of a deadlock. Membership in the Senate is renewed once per decade, and the Executive Council may nominate challengers as they see fit. In the case of a retiring member, anyone may nominate themselves with one thousand signatures by vassals of the Senate.

The Executive Council is composed entirely of Dead Apostles. Elevation to the Council is done by vote among the current members, when they is an open position. The majority of the current True Ancestor population is european, and counts a little over thirty. The various non-vampire types are not precisely happy with this setup, but the Council itself acts so infrequently that it’s a simmering issue, not a surface one.

The Casket Division is the Senate’s military arm. Six Companies, each with Six Platoons, each with with Six squads. Allegedly, this was originally to strike fear into their enemies, but in the modern era, it’s become a joke. Most troops are armed with standardized body armor and armaments patterned off of european forces.

Cryptid – A Renegade faction who want to take over the Senate and make their own rules, abolish secrecy, and rule the world as dark gods. Humanity is despised. Openly violent and reactionary against technology, when the Senate can, it smashes them.

The rumor is that they’re funded or run by members of the Council, to give the Senate something to chase. The occasional need to put down a Dead Apostle or Varkolak in a cell lends credence to this myth.

Operate predominantly in cells, with little cooperation. The actual setup is surprisingly sophisticated – each cell only has knowledge of one other, in a pyramid style. The contact for a downstream cell is not a contact for an upstream cell, so multiple cells need to be completely subverted to get anywhere.

Often, a higher level cell splits and starts up entire new offshoots before breaking communication, leaving behind isolated cells to stir havoc. These cells are rarely subtle, but they can do a lot of damage before they’re taken down.

Domina – Small but well-funded group who seek to take over mortal society while staying in the shadows. Has co-opted small but meaningful bits of the Senate. Tends to come across as paternalistic ‘we know better than you’. Working to mass produce arcanist tech to provide them a force multiplier. Think they know best for the improvement of the world.

Manipulators. They don’t have much direct power, but they often leak information to damage the Senate’s control or allow them to grab a powerful recruit directly.

A strong interventionist streak allows common ground – human atrocity is just as often against their agenda as for it. They seek a controllable, weakened mankind.

When they need their own troops, they have small numbers of extremely well trained and indoctrinated troops with high tech carapace armour and limited supernatural support.

Money, money, MONEY

Last Rites – An organization of human hunters. Manipulated by all sides despite their protests to the contrary, still capable of projecting enough force to harm even major factions plans. Often used as pawns by the Senate and Domina against one another, but their leadership is aware of this and has turned the tables on both a few times.

Low tech cells largely, but they tend to attract less-stable militia types, especially those who might stockpile heavier weapons and potentially illegal arms. In many cases, deliberately recruits them on the principle that they’re better aimed at supernatural threats than fellow humans.

Thoroughly compromised by everyone.

Kathedrikos Naos – Christian, theoretically multi-denominational Arcanist college founded by the Greek Orthodox Church. The Cathedral order arms many church organizations with supernatural talismans and weapons, regardless of faith. Each major denomination has their own group of Arcanists, usually styled as relic makers, who keep their own supernatural counter-force equipped.

Vampire:

Always:

Supernatural Dexterity

Without Resources but not always on:

Senses
Make simple suggestions to people who have been recently or repeatedly bitten
“Flurry” type supernatural speed

Requires Resources:

Regen
Supernatural Strength
Actual Mind Control (maybe cut)

Werewolf:

Always:

Supernatural Strength

Without Resources but not always on:

Senses

Basic Claw type weapons

With Resources:

Full Transformation

Regen

Arcanists:

Arcanists duplicate other abilities and powers using items. They tend to either be ‘one shot’ or cost activation time or resources. Some passive boosts can be used, but only one at a time. Different Arcanists have different styles – some Q style gadets, some magical amulets and wands, but same effects.